Inverurie paper mill shut with loss of 371 jobs

International Paper is to close its Inverurie paper mill in Aberdeenshire with
the loss of 371 jobs.

The US-based company said it would shut the mill at the end of next month. The announcement follows a three-month "consultation" period.

Scotland First Minister and local MSP Alex Salmond said the closure is a "big blow" to the workforce and the community.

When it launched the consultation last year, International Paper said the mill was expensive to run and faced increasing financial pressures due to an oversupplied market for its product in Europe.

Mill manager Chris Melia said: "We are saddened to bring papermaking to an end in Inverurie but ultimately we have acted to match machine capacity worldwide to the paper volumes demanded by our customers.

Mr Salmond said: "This is a big blow to the workforce and the community - 371 skilled jobs is an enormous number in a community of this size.

The mill, which International Paper bought in 1996, produced 250,000 tonnes of paper a year.